CULTURE SHIFT
Wilkerson. “There’s noway toknowwhat
their livesmight havebeen likeor if their
achievementswouldhavebeenpossiblehad
itnotbeen for thecourageof theparentsor
grandparentswho lefttheSouth.”
Arriving in California, the French-
speakingCreoles sought one another out.
And they recreated thezydecodances that
brought them together backhome. There
werehousepartiesandprivateclubs—but
themostcelebratedgatheringstookplacein
churchsocialhalls.LenaandHoustonPitre
playedahuge role inorganizing thedances
at St.Mark’sCatholicChurch in theirnew
hometownofRichmond.TheyhiredCreole
musicians living in theBayArea, aswell as
visitingLouisianans likeCliftonChenier,
thegreatestzydecoaccordionistofall time.
Those church danceswere like family
reunions.Peoplecamedressedtothenines.
“Onceyouparkedyour car, you couldhear
themusic,”saysSemien,whonoworganizes
dancesatSt.PauloftheShipwreckCatholic
Church inSanFrancisco. “Youcould smell
thegumbobeforeyougot intothehall.First
thingyou’re gonnado, you’re gonna shake
hands, you’re gonna greet eachother. And
thenme—Iusuallyfindthekitchenbecause
Ilovetogetagoodbowlofgumbo.MaybeI’ll
drinkabeer. And then I’m ready tozydeco.
You just zydeco all night long till theband
stops.”
In the cultural patchworkofCalifornia,
with itsmany loversof ethnicdance, itwas
inevitablethatSouthLouisianamusicwould
spreadbeyond theCreolecommunity. The
wallwassaidtobefirstbreachedinthe1970s,
with a liveThanksgivingDaybroadcast of
the Louisiana Playboys on radio station
KPFA.From there, themusicwasrecorded,
featured indocumentaries, and showcased
at mainstream venues like the Berkeley
restaurant Chez Panisse. “When it trans-
ferredover, it bloomed,” saysRayStevens,
an87-year-old zydecodancerwhomoved
fromLakeCharles, La., toOakland, Calif.,
in1944. “Itgotoutof thericefield, andnow
it’smovingon.”
Todayzydeco iseverywhere,withevents
scheduledmostnightsoftheweek(there’sa
masterscheduleatCalendar10.tripod.com).
Tuesdays belong toAshkenaz, aBerkeley
musicclubthatfeaturesbothzydecoandCa-
junmusic.Friday thesceneshifts toEagles
Hall, a fraternal lodge inAlameda. Some
Sundays, theparty isat23Club, anoldcow-
boybar inBrisbane.At thesedances, you’ll
meettheoriginalmigrants,alongwiththeir
children and grandchildren. Often they’ll
be outnumbered byCalifornianswithno
Louisianarootsatall.
inSanFrancisco,wedrive
straighttoNoNameRanch,ablack-cowboy
ranch in thehills aboveHayward, southof
Oakland.Amidst thehorsestallsandwood-
chippaths,there’sahugewoodendancefloor
with apanoramic viewof the valley. Corn
is grillingon a sawed-off oil drum. Abeer-
and-burger tentdoes steadybusiness. Two
veterandancersgive lessons tonewcomers
—and thenaccordionistMarkSt.Maryand
hisbandtakethestage.St.Marycomesfrom
58
FEBRUARY 01, 2012
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